DENVER – This was it; this was the showcase game the Stanley Cup playoffs had yet to really provide.
And not only did last night’s match here between the Avalanche and Stars feature everything that’s good about hockey, Colorado’s 3-2 OT victory assured that the Western Finals, now even at 2-2, would go at least six games.
The winner was scored at 19:29 by Chris Drury, who blasted a left-circle shot short side over the shoulder of Ed Belfour, who had engaged in a spectacular duel with Patrick Roy on a night that neither man could afford to rest on any piece of furniture.
Drury, getting extra ice time throughout following a first-period, game-ending injury to Colorado’s other Calder contender, Milan Hejduk, finished a play that had begun when Sandis Ozolinsh knocked down a clearing attempt at the blue line before sliding a backhand feed to the winger.
“We had a lot of shots tonight, but [Belfour] was kicking them out left and right,” Drury, who moved up from his usual checking line assignment to claim 21:47 of ice time, said. “I wanted to go up there.”
Hejduk, in fact, is gone for the playoffs with a broken collarbone he sustained on a hit by Richard Matvichuk. The Avalanche were already shy a potent winger coming into the game, with Valeri Kamensky sidelined with a bruised right wrist.
“Every time a player goes out it gives another player an opportunity to step in and do the job,” said Hartley. “We have a very deep team.”
Hejduk had gone down early for the Avalanche and, ironically, first-pair defenseman Matvichuk then went down early in the third period following a walloping hit on Peter Forsberg in a match that contained more than its share of high-speed, almost ruthless collisions, end-to-end rushes, and hard work down low. And now the athletes from both of these premier teams have almost no time in which to recover, what with Game 5 to be played early tomorrow afternoon in Dallas.
“It was a whale of a hockey game, and I was very proud of our team,” Ken Hitchcock said after the defeat. “I have a great deal of respect for the way both teams played, not only tonight, but throughout the series.
“Of course, losing is bitterly disappointing, but this is a brilliant series. You have players on both teams simply maxing out in effort. I don’t think anyone could really ask for more from a playoff series. I think we should all take pride in what we’ve seen so far.”
Hitchcock’s team had fallen behind 2-0 on the first two shots of the game when Joe Sakic and Shjon Podein scored within a span of 48 seconds at 4:06 and 4:54 of the opening period. But thereafter, Belfour was simply outstanding in keeping Dallas in the match, and allowing his team to mount a rally that culminated with Brett Hull’s tying goal with just 3:53 remaining in regulation.
In fact, Belfour registered saves on 42 consecutive shots between Podein’s goal and Drury’s winner. At the other end, Roy made 43 saves of his own, failing to stop only Jamie Langenbrunner’s screened power play wrister at 9:48 of the second and Hull’s lock, load, cock and fire slapshot from the right circle.
Hockey’s two best teams were relentless for most of the match last night, with Dallas abandoning its passive posture to skate straight up against an Avalanche team that wants to skate all night and every night. While the Avalanche did free-wheel, so did the Stars, which only leaves one to wonder why Hitchcock doesn’t allow Dallas to play a more up-tempo match more often. Certainly it’s a team with enough talent to trade chances with anyone.
They could trade chances with anyone with the way Belfour played after surrendering the opening two goals. And Colorado could trade chances with anyone with the way Roy, now an astonishing 33-10 lifetime in playoff overtime matches.
The Avalanche actually had a brilliant chance to win the game with a minute to go in regulation when Theo Fleury and Sakic broke in on a quick developing two-on-none against Belfour. But Sakic tipped Fleury’s feed just wide of the net.
Each team had a power play opportunity in overtime. Dallas, with the game and a 3-1 series edge on its sticks, became tentative and failed to get a shot on net. Colorado did have chances on its man advantage; glorious ones, in fact. But Belfour was outrageous.
Still, the goaltender could not make the final save on Drury. And so a brilliant hockey game came to an end with a Colorado victory.
And a series that now has every chance to become the brilliant showcase everyone had hoped for, continues tomorrow, and will continue at least for two more matches.